


Shaken

by Paige242



Category: Superman & Lois (TV 2020)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29834382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paige242/pseuds/Paige242
Summary: Jordan and Jon do some snooping at their grandfather's house and make a terrible discovery.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane
Comments: 41
Kudos: 130





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't actually think things will go this way on the show but I got this plot bunny in my head. I'm not entirely sure if I trust Sam...very interested in his dynamic with Clark as we move forward.  
> Hope you enjoy this!

“What do you think that is?”

Jordan looked towards the object his brother was referring to. It wasn’t unusual to find strange objects at Grandpa Lane’s house. He worked for the Department of Defence and the boys had always been fascinated by the random artefacts he sometimes brought home. Not many people knew this, but Sam Lane was a bit of a hoarder. His home office was full of decommissioned contraptions and deactivated gizmos. Which was exactly why the twins liked to sneak up there every time they came to visit.

On this particular occasion, they had crept away as soon as their mother and grandfather got into one of their trademarked arguments. 

Jordan took a step forward for a better look, his eyes widening in surprise as he examined the little grey box.

“I don’t know,” the dark haired twin finally answered, “but whatever it is had Kryptonian writing on it.”

Jon looked up in surprise. “That what those markings are? Are you sure?” He sounded skeptical, but also a little impressed.

Jordan nodded. “Positive,” he said as he gently brushed his fingers over the strange markings that were engraved on the lid. It appeared to be made out of some sort of stone and was cold to the touch. “I’ve seen symbols like this before. In dad’s fortress.”

It looked as though his brother was tempted to give a snarky reply for a moment before thinking better of it. They’d talked things through a couple of times now but Jordan knew that there was still a bit of lingering resentment about all of his trips to the secret ice structure. Their dad had tried to bring Jon along last time but the boy had refused, claiming he wasn’t into all that ‘sci-fi stuff’—but Jordan knew his twin well enough to see that it was mostly bravado. And pride.

“I wonder why grandpa has a Kryptonian box?” Jon mused, taking a step closer as well, “do you think dad give it to him?”

Jordan shrugged, “maybe. Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Can you read it, alien-boy?” 

He rolled his eyes. That was Jon’s new nickname for him and he didn’t love it. “If I’m an alien then you’re an alien,” he muttered before addressing his brother’s question. “And nope, I can’t read a word,” he paused, “dad spends most of our time at the fortress trying to force out my powers and scanning me for signs of change. It hasn’t really been all that academic.”

“Sounds fun,” Jon replied sarcastically, his eyes still locked on the mysterious box.

“Yep, super fun.”

“So…should we open it?”

Jon was clearly fixated on the thing but Jordan found himself hesitating. He was definitely curious too but it seemed like an odd thing for Grandpa Lane to have in his house and something about the whole situation felt a bit off.

Jordan shifted in his spot. “Maybe we could just ask grandpa about it,” he suggested with a shrug.

“Ask him about stuff he keeps in a room we’re not supposed to poke around in right after he finishes his screaming match with mom?” Jon raised an eyebrow as he finally looked up from the little box. “Do you really think that’ll get us any answers?”

“No, obviously not,” Jordan conceeded. If they were going to find out what this thing was, it was probably now or never. “Fine,” he said, deciding not to fight it, “who is gonna open it—you or me?” 

Jon squared his shoulders, “I’ll do it,” he volunteered, reaching out towards the little silver latch that was currently keeping it shut. “It doesn’t even look like it has a lock, this is almost too easy.”

He exchanged one last look with his brother, silently wondering if the other teen had spoken too soon.

(As it turned out, he had…)

Jon’s gently flicked open the latch and finally opened the small box. Jordan had been watching with anticipation but as soon as the lid was pulled back he found himself overcome with a wave of unexpected pain.

It was a feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced. Like the worst flu mixed with a terrible injury that made every muscle in his body weaken and ache.

He stumbled back over the edge of the carpet and collapsed onto his knees, clutching his stomach in agony. It took all of his strength to look back towards the object and, through blurry vision, he could see that it contained some sort of glowing green rock. 

A dangerous green rock, apparently.

“Jon…close…” He tried to gasp out an instruction to his brother but, as he glanced to the side, he realized that Jon was not faring much better. He had crumpled to the floor right next to the table and Jordan could hear him let out a long groan.

Whatever this thing was, it seemed to be killing them and he felt the panic well up inside of him.

With his last ounce of strength he called out for their mom before letting his head fall heavily to the floor.

It felt like an eternity but the next thing he could fully remember was his mother’s angry shout and the sound of footsteps bounding across the room. 

Thankfully, a few moments later, he felt the wave of pain begin to ease. After drawing in several shaky breaths, Jordan managed to open his eyes and pull his body up into a seated position. He was starting to feel better but, if it hadn’t been for the support of a nearby desk leg, he wasn’t certain that he would have been able to remain upright.

“What…the hell…was that?” He heard Jon demand breathlessly from the other side of the room.

His mother was standing near the table now, the grey box in her hands, and their grandfather stood in the doorframe, his eyes wide as he surveyed the scene.

Lois turned to her father with a look of pure fury in her eyes. “You keep a box of Kryptonite in your house!?” She exclaimed with more rage than Jordan had ever heard from her. And considering Lois’ temper, that was really saying something. “Kryptonite! What the actual fuck, dad—are you trying to kill my family? Because that is what it fucking looks like right now!”

So that was kryptonite, Jordan silently noted. Their dad had mentioned it in passing but he certainly hadn’t expected to find any fragments of a destroyed planet in his grandfather’s study. Then again, the man had many secrets. 

“Of course not!” General Lane shot back, his eyes still wide with shock, “Lois, please, you know I would never hurt the boys. They aren’t supposed to be in here! And I never thought it would harm them!”

His mother was not the least bit subdued by this response. “Well clearly it did,” she pointed out, clearly disgusted by the man before her. They always fought, but something about this felt different.

More intense than it ever had before.

Jordan was sorry they had opened the box but, like his mother, he was surprised and disturbed to discover that his grandpa was storing such a dangerous weapon so casually amongst his things. 

“The boys…they’re not like him. They’ve never been like him,” the old man stuttered defensively. It was clear that the general was struggling to respond. He probably hadn’t expected to be found out and, apparently, hadn’t expected the alien mineral to have any effect on his grandsons.

“The time for denial is over, dad,” Lois spat back, eyes dangerously narrowed. “I know you see my husband as mothing more than a weapon for your use, and I know you’ve never been happy about us. But Jordan and Jonathan are Clark’s children. And that means they are not completely human. Krypton is their planet just as much as Earth.”

It looked as though this proclamation sent an unpleasant jolt through their grandfather’s body and Jordan could see his face pale with an odd mixture of anger and sadness.

Jordan turned to look at his brother, who was also still sitting on the ground watching this exchange with open-mouthed shock as his strength slowly returned.

Neither one of them had ever heard their mother talk about them in these terms and it was odd to hear her lay it out so plainly.

But she was clearly right.

As the last few minutes had made painfully clear, neither one of them was normal. They could be weakened by fragments of their father’s lost planet, just as he could.

“They never should have been told,” Sam hissed, breaking the tense silence than hung over the room. “Having an alien father is bad enough. But they didn’t need to know about that terrible burden. _Your_ mistakes should not have cost them normal lives.”

Lois snorted in disgust at her father’s pig-headedness before dropping the bomb Jordan had felt coming.

“Jordan has powers.”

Her statement rung through the air and he watched as his grandfather turned towards him as if he was suddenly seeing him anew.

Jordan withered under his gaze.

It was a look that he had feared ever since he’d found out who his father truly was. A look that silently said _you’re an abomination._

He suddenly wanted to run. Or vomit. Or maybe both.

“Shit.”

It was barely a whisper, but the boy heard it loud and clear. It was amazing how a single word could sometimes pierce your very soul.

“Not Jon too…”

Yes, of course grandpa would find that even more shocking. Accepting that Jordan—the weird brother—was a freak was one thing. They had never been quite as close. 

But not the golden boy.

Not the perfect, normal son.

Their grandfather had always adored Jon, he probably couldn’t stand the thought of him being abnormal in any way.

“He just collapsed in pain at the sight of Kryptonite,” Lois pointed out scathingly, “it is only a matter of time.”

Jordan could sense his brother’s anxiety, ever from afar.

There was another terrible pause.

“But don’t worry, you won’t have to witness any of the amazing things my sons will do,” his mother declared as she helped Jon shakily get back to his feet. She walked towards him next, offering him a helping hand before pulling them both close for a protective hug.

Jordan was not completely recovered but he was well enough now.

He was pretty sure that his desire to get the hell away from there would be enough to propel his aching body out of the house.

“We are leaving,” Lois finished, “and we are _never_ coming back.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t plan to write more but it was still in my head and I was feeling inspired after all of your lovely reviews. Hope you enjoy this follow-up.

Whispered conversations had always been common in the Lane-Kent household. 

Jordan had assumed things would change after the big reveal a few months ago but, apparently, that was not the case. They may have known their father’s true identity now but that didn’t mean their parents were willing to let them in on every gory detail. 

He was pretty sure he knew what they were talking about in the kitchen right now, though. 

They’d returned to the farmhouse just after dusk. Their mother had insisted on doting on them and they were currently wrapped in warm blankets with cups of hot chocolate steaming on the coffee table in front of them. Both twins insisted that they felt fine now but she hadn’t stopped her fretting until their father had arrived about half an hour ago (he’d been helping save people from an avalanche in Switzerland, apparently). 

They’d gone into the kitchen after that. 

To whisper. 

Angrily. 

It seemed a bit silly to keep their conversation from them when it was pretty obvious that she was filling him in on what had just transpired at their grandfather’s house. Jordan briefly wondered if they were just so used to secrecy that this form of communication was simply habit. 

“Guess we really fucked up, huh?” Jon asked, glancing up moodily from his phone. 

He’d been abnormally quiet since the incident and had barely said two words to Jordan since they’d been left alone in the living room. 

Jordan was content with the silence, but he had started to wonder if his outgoing sibling was feeling okay. 

The kryptonite poisoning may have faded, but there was clearly other damage that could not be undone. 

“I mean, it’s not really our fault,” Jordan pointed out with a small shrug. “Sure, we shouldn’t have been snooping around but the bigger problem is the fact that grandpa has been keeping a deadly poison around his house for some reason. And it’s probably not a good reason.” 

He watched as Jon clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing in thought. “It’s just a stupid rock. It’s not really poison,” he paused, a slight scowl crossing his face, “at least, not to most people. But whatever.” 

Jordan could tell that his brother was still struggling to process what had happened earlier that day. Clearly, there was a bit of resentment below the surface that needed to be worked through. 

He’d been to enough therapy sessions to know that keeping things bottled up inside was never the best choice. 

“Look, I know it’s a lot to accept, Jon, but that stuff is clearly poisonous to us. And to dad.”

This did nothing to help lift Jon’s mood. “To aliens, you mean,” he said bitterly, “Kryptonians.”

Jordan let out a tired sigh. “Yeah,” he agreed pointedly, “us.” 

His brother let out a disgusted scoff as he looked up towards the ceiling. It almost seemed as if he was fighting back tears. 

A heavy silence fell before Jon began again. 

“Did you see how he looked at us, Jor?” He asked, the emotion thick in his voice as he looked back towards him. “It was like he had never seen us before. Like he’d discovered some horrible creatures in Area 51.” 

Jordan felt his stomach twist at the memory. He had definitely noticed that and it was hard to wipe the vision of his grandfather’s modified gaze from his mind’s eye. It had stung to see it but, at the time, he had assumed that the gaze had been directed at him. The family freak. 

But maybe that hadn’t been the case. 

Maybe the old man’s disapproval had been doled out equally— for once.

The dark haired boy sighed again. “Yeah, I saw it,” he said, making no effort to deny the plain facts. He paused for a second. “I always kind of sensed that he didn’t like dad for some reason. I kinda assumed it was because he was away so much. But I guess we know the truth now. He never approved of mom and dad’s...unusual relationship.” 

Jon snorted. “And he doesn’t approve of his weird hybrid grandsons.” 

Jordan shot his brother a sympathetic look. That certainly seemed to be the case and he knew that this was probably much harder for his brother than it was for him. Jon and his grandpa had always been pretty close. They’d taken fishing trips, gone to football games and batting ranges together. Had all sorts of boyish adventures. Jordan was always invited too but he simply wasn’t the kind of person who enjoyed those things. He’d tagged along occasionally, only to feel like the third wheel to their fun. 

The feelings of confusion and rejection were hard enough for him and he could only imagine how Jon was feeling right now. 

It was hard to accept that love and pride could turn to fear and condemnation so abruptly. 

“He used to love going on about how alike he and I were, you know,” Jon mused, his brow furrowed as he recalled happier times. “He showed me his high school yearbook once and it’s actually kind of crazy how much I look like him,” the teen paused for a moment, “I never told you this, but he used to say that I was the Lane and you were the Kent.” 

Jordan let out a short laugh. He’d never heard that from grandpa but he wasn’t surprised. For one thing, if you went by looks alone, it was undeniably true. And now, in retrospect, it kind of added to the feeling that the man had always seen him as the lesser of the two. Dismissing Jordan as “a Kent” probably had more meaning than he could have realized at the time. Sam had always associated him with his father’s perceived flaws. 

“I’m sorry, Jon,” Jordan said earnestly, meeting his brothers gaze. “It sucks that someone who is supposed to care about us could turn so easily. For such stupid and superficial reasons. There is clearly a lot more going on here than we realized.” 

It was Jon’s turn to let out a dark laugh. “What else is new?” He asked with a shake of his head. 

Before the boys could continue their conversation the sound of a creaking door diverted their attention. They both turned to see their dad walk into the room, somber faced and downcast. 

Clark silently made his way towards and empty chair and took a seat, examining them both for a moment before releasing a long breath. 

“Mom filled me in,” he noted, stating the obvious. Jordan could sense his concern and see the carefully controlled anger hidden behind his eyes. 

“I just...” he trailed off for a moment, searching for the right words in this strange situation. “First of all, I’m glad you’re both okay. I know from experience that the effects of kryptonite exposure can linger for a couple of days so don’t be surprised if you feel a bit off in the morning,” he paused again. “I’m taking you both somewhere sunny tomorrow, it should help your cells recuperate.” The man gave them a lopsided smile, “the Australian beaches are great this time of year, you know.” 

Jordan raised an intrigued eyebrow as Jon crossed his arms firmly against his chest, clearly less excited by the prospect. 

“How was that even possible?” The teen blurted out, his tone somewhat combative.It was apparent that he wanted answers, not distractions. Not that Jordan could really blame him. 

His own negative reaction to the alien substance wasn’t a huge shock. He’d exhibited some Kryptonian tendencies. But wasn’t Jon supposed to be the normal one? 

Their dad let out a long sigh as he shook his head. “It’s my fault,” he said, running a hand through his dark hair. “It’s possible because I’m your father.” 

Jon was not the least bit satisfied by that vague response and he tried again. “Yeah, but I’m the normal one. I kinda get why Jordan might have a reaction— he’s the one showing signs of your powers. But I’m not. I’m human.” 

Their dad looked a bit taken aback and opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before responding. “Jon,” he began hesitantly, “you may not be showing signs of powers yet. And maybe you never will.” There was an uncomfortable pause as the great and powerful Superman shifted awkwardly in his seat. “But that doesn’t make you human. Strictly speaking, you’ve never been human and you never will be.” 

Jordan could see the colour rising in his brother’s cheeks and, if he had been a bit closer, he’d have put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

Sure, this was weird for Jordan to hear too. It was odd when these things were talked about so openly and it hadn’t really happened much in the last couple of months. But Jordan had spent a lot of time thinking it through and had arrived at some level of acceptance. 

Jon, on the other hand, had used his power-free status to bolster his denial. 

Now, he finally had to face the facts. 

“So you’re saying that, even though I’m powerless, I’m still an alien?” The boy remarked, arms folded defensively. 

Clark hesitated again, his face betraying both his sadness and discomfort. “I don’t like that word,” he said quietly before getting back to the central matter, “you’re not an alien. Genetically, you’re a human-Kryptonian hybrid. One of two in the history of the universe, as far as I know. And this is completely uncharted territory.” 

Jon scoffed bitterly before their father continued.

“Because this is unprecedented I wasn’t sure how your bodies would react to kryptonite. Frankly, I hoped that we would never find out. But, for better or worse, now we know.” 

“It definitely sucked,” Jordan piped in, shuddering at the thought. If he ever felt that sensation again, it would be too soon. “I’ve never felt so sick in my life.” 

His dad clenched his fists for a moment, clearly trying to suppress his own rage. Sam Lane was pretty damn lucky that he was related to them right now. If he had been a stranger, Jordan doubted that the man would have made it through the night unscathed. 

“You’re right, it did suck,” Jon agreed as he abruptly stood up from his spot on the couch. “In fact, pretty much everything about this situation sucks.” 

The teen drew a shaky breath before glancing between his father and brother, a flash of annoyance in his piercingly blue eyes.

“Enjoy your trip to Australia tomorrow, guys. You can count me out. I have boring  human  homework to do.” 

As Jon made his way towards the stairs their dad stood up, turning towards him. 

“You can’t turn your back on this, Jon,” he began with a worried urgency, “your cells need to regenerate. You’ll feel better, trust me.” 

“You’ve done enough damage to my cells, thanks dad.” The boy snapped back sarcastically before bounding up the stairs and out of sight. 

Clark looked forlornly towards the empty hallway for a long moment before turning back towards his remaining son. It occurred to him how much the tables had turned in recent months. He was usually the one storming off while his easy-going brother was left behind.   


But, for whatever reason, he’d had a much easier time coming to terms with this particular situation.   


Jordan could see the concern etched in his father’s face and, while he understood his brother’s struggle, he also sympathized with his dad. He had probably wished he was human on more than one occasion himself. 

He wondered how many teenage outbursts his father had experienced within these very walls. 

“Let him go, dad,” Jordan said softly, mustering his most reassuring smile. He felt some of the tension ease as the man softened his gaze. “He just needs time.” 

“I hope you’re right,” his dad replied defeatedly before taking a few strides across the room and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, “for what it’s worth, I am truly sorry that you are both going through this. I wish things were different.” 

Jordan shrugged, somewhat surprised by how level-headed he was feeling, in spite of it all. 

Sure, things had been crazy and weird recently. And the events at his grandfather’s house had been truly terrible. But knowing who he was felt good and having a newfound bond with his dad felt even better.

If he was being entirely honest, he probably wouldn’t change a thing. 

“For what it’s worth, I’m pretty excited to go to Australia,” he replied with a widening smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks guys, you have inspired me with your lovely reviews :) Switching to Jon's POV now- hope you enjoy!

Knowing that it was a stupid idea was not enough to stop him.

He’d been left alone in the farmhouse that morning, a mild headache throbbing in his temple (the Kryptonite aftereffects, he supposed). It wasn’t debilitating but it was enough to make his homework seem completely insurmountable. He was in no mood for it, anyway. The events of the previous day hung over him like a dark cloud and the mild discomfort served as a grim reminder of his freakish biology.

There were over seven billion people on the planet and all of them could have stood next to that stupid green rock without even noticing it was there. His own mother and grandfather had been perfectly fine in its presence.

But Jon hadn’t been.

He’d felt worse than he ever could have imagined. As if his very life force was being sucked out of him.

The memory filled him with both resentment and anxiety. This was not how his life was supposed to be. He had always fit in so perfectly. Easily made friends and excelled at everything he did.

Jon was the normal one.

And yet, apparently, he wasn’t—and it suddenly felt as if his whole life had been a lie.

 _You’ve never been human and you never will be_. 

That was how his father had bluntly put it yesterday. Jordan had seemed to take it all in stride but Jon had felt sickened by the thought. It was one thing to find out that your dad had a secret identity. That had been shock enough but he had managed to wrap his head around it in the past couple of months.

Accepting all the implications this had for himself was another matter.

Their father hadn’t just lied to think about who he was. He had lied to them about who _they_ were. 

Jon had done his best to keep it out of his mind, throwing himself into football and school and all of the comforting normal things that he usually loved. It had been a hell of a lot harder in Smallville High, where he’d been a bit of a pariah since day one, but even the stupid social tensions had been a useful distraction. It was much easier to focus on the fact that Sean and his cronies were jerks than it was to think about his father’s true origins. 

But yesterday it had all come crashing down in the most painful way imaginable. His entire body had crumpled in the face of that Kryptonian relic and his grandfather had forced him to face his own abnormalities. Jon had barely been able to sleep that night, the sight of his grandpa’s disappointed gaze played over and over in his mind.

That was why he had come.

It was stupid and reckless but he hadn’t been able to think of anything else to do. He certainly couldn’t live with this unsettling rage and things at the house had ended so abruptly yesterday. His mom, furious, had whisked them out the door. He didn’t really blame her but it meant that he felt no sense of closure. His grandfather hadn’t had time to say much at all. At the very least, Jon wanted to know why he’d been keeping the kryptonite in his office.

And, perhaps more importantly, he felt an overwhelming desire to face the man again. To see if the disappointment and disgust he had sensed before had truly lingered.

Grandpa had been there for him through so may ups and downs. He’d stepped in countless times when dad had mysteriously disappeared. The man had been one of the few constants in Jonathan’s life and it was inconceivable to him that it could all change in an instant.

The hopeful part of him tried to convince himself that he had imagined some of yesterday’s vitriol. Everything had happened so fast and Jon had been literally knocked to the floor. It was possible that he had imagined some of the worst moments, wasn’t it? Maybe grandpa had simply been in shock and hadn’t had time to explain.

All of those unanswered questions had set him off on his quest. Mom had gone to the Gazette early that morning (when Lois was stressed, she always threw herself into work) and dad and Jordan had flown off after breakfast to absorb the Australian sun. Jon had resolutely refused their invitations again and had been secretly happy that the weather in Kansas seemed particularly cloudy that day. The last thing he’d wanted was to fuel his freakish body any more than he had to. (Maybe staying out of the sun was a way to stay as human as possible).

He’d set off to the train station in the gloomy drizzle, annoyed that a double dose of Tylenol had done nothing to alleviate his headache but determined to face the man who had consumed his thoughts. It was about a two-hour ride to Metropolis and he’d blasted music into his headphones for the duration of it, desperate to drown out his troubled thoughts. He really was becoming more and more like his brother, he’d mused bitterly.

Finally, he’d arrived at the house and was currently waiting outside for his grandfather to answer his forceful knocks. He hadn’t called ahead and had no idea if the man was even home that day. This was his third set of knocks and he noticed, much to his annoyance, that the sun was finally starting to peak out from behind the clouds. He could feel a warm ray of it hit his back. Perhaps it was just in his head but he was pretty sure that it was making his skin tingle with energy— despite his two layers of clothing.

Jon had always been an outdoorsy person and had reveled in many sunny days. Was this sensation new or had it always been there without him noticing? An unwelcome voice rang in his head again— _you’ve never been human and you never will be_.

Deep down, he was pretty sure he simply hadn’t noticed before. Nothing about his body had changed. The only difference now was that he knew the truth.

His stomach twisted uncomfortably as he watched the sun crawl up the street with increased intensity. A small voice inside of him begged him to step into it, to lift the haze that had been lingering since last night. But his stubbornness got the better of him.

“Fuck this,” he muttered under his breath as he began to dig through his jeans pocket. A second later, he pulled out a set of keys and shakily put one into the lock.

Mom kept an extra set in the kitchen and, thankfully, he’d had the foresight to grab them on his way out the door. Just in case.

The door clicked open and Jon finally let out a breath of relief as he stumbled into the dark foyer of his grandfather’s house and shut himself in. The sun wouldn’t be able to reach him now.

A quick survey of his surroundings suggested that the house was empty. His grandpa’s shoes and briefcase were gone and all of the lights seemed to be out. In regular circumstances, Jon wouldn’t have thought twice about being in there alone. Grandpa had told him to come by any time and he’d often stopped by on his way home from school when they’d lived in the city. This was a place he knew well and a place he’d always felt welcomed. 

But things seemed different now.

His mother had vowed that they would never return and it certainly seemed like his grandfather had betrayed their trust. Maybe there were other dangerous artefacts within these walls? And maybe he no longer wanted to see the sons of Superman.

Briefly, he wondered if he would be better off paying Eliza a surprise visit and trying again later. But that thought brought up all sorts of uncomfortable feelings as well. They were still together, but there had definitely been a growing distance between them lately, and not just because of the move. Jon could no longer share a huge part of his life with someone he cared for so deeply. His parents had said keeping the secret within their family was vital and he had obeyed. But that meant that he could no longer open up to his girlfriend or tell her what was really on his mind. He hated that and he knew that she could sense that something had changed. It was so tempting just to tell her but, then again, he didn’t relish the thought of exposing himself like that.

He’d see his grandfather’s reaction to his alien-ness less than twenty-four hours ago.

If Eliza ever looked at him with such shock and revulsion he didn’t know what he would do.

Not that he’d blame her. Jon had no idea how his mother had stomached sleeping with an extraterrestrial. It was a sickening thought in more ways than one. 

The boy gave an involuntary shudder as he pushed the notion from his mind. Resolutely, he made his way towards the kitchen, calling out for his grandfather a few times just to make sure that he was truly alone.

A glass of water and a bite to eat felt appealing after his journey. He would wait there until either Sam came home or his dad figured out where he was and dragged him out of the city.

As he entered the room, however, all thoughts of refreshment quickly fell from his mind. Jon was surprised to see a portable filing box on the kitchen table and several official looking papers scattered around it. He could also see a stack of pens and a cold cup of coffee, suggesting that his grandfather had been carrying out some sort of work here.

He let out a bitter scoff. Apparently, the events of the previous day had not distracted Sam Lane from his work. You’d expect someone to wallow after a confrontation like that but clearly he did not. Everyone in this damn family was a workaholic. 

Jon paused for a moment, wondering if it would be best just to walk away. The box had a military insignia on it and probably contained some classified stuff. Maybe he should wait in the living room instead and distract himself with a bit of television. Snooping around had been a pretty big mistake yesterday, after all.

But his lingering resentment pushed him forward. He didn’t really care about his grandfather’s privacy anymore. And maybe these documents would help explain why the man had been keeping deadly substances around his house. It might be his only chance to get some answers.

So Jonathan kept walking until he reached the table. Thankfully, the writing on this box was not kryptonian but he felt his insides churn as he scanned the black text on the lid.

_Registry of Extra-terrestrial Beings_

He glanced at the papers on the table. They seemed to be profiles of various creatures that the department of defence was keeping track of. The one on the top of the pile described some sort of mind-reading martian with green skin and black eyes.

Jon wasn’t terribly surprised. He knew his grandfather was involved in these sorts of things and it wasn’t a shock to think that the US government wanted to keep tabs on as many powerful outsiders as possible. A few months ago, he probably would have shrugged it off or glanced at it with vague curiosity.

Now, however, it felt a lot more personal.

Doing his best to steady his shaking hands, Jon lifted the lid off the filing box and began scanning the tabs inside. They seemed to divide the profiles into categories (from Adaptoids all the way to Zaroxians) and he flicked through a couple of the ones at the front, surprised to see that they were all written up in his grandfather’s handwriting. The man was clearly devoted to this work.

Finally, he allowed his eyes to fall upon the section he had been dreading.

_Kryptonians_

Of course there was a section for that. He’d known that he’d find it the second he realized what this box contained. Despondently, he pulled out the entire folder and tossed it on the table with more force than he had intended. As curious as he was to see what was inside, he found himself hesitating for a long moment. As he had recently found out the hard way, once something was opened the damage could be instant.

Is this what he really wanted to do?

The answer to that question was no. He didn’t want any of this to be happening. He wanted to go back in time four months and pretend that everything was normal again.

But that was not going to happen.

The folder was thick and Jon finally opened it to find several subsections within it. His eyes quickly fell on the one he wanted, though. He’d paid enough attention to his father’s recent family history lessons to know where to look. The House of El. That was who they were. The name “Kent” was nothing but a deceptively average cover-up.

Unsurprisingly, his father’s profile was on top. Kal-El, it read in thick black letters next to a picture of him in full Superman garb. Thankfully, his alias and whereabouts were not listed but the document did contain a lot of information about his known abilities and origins. His dad’s cousin was next. Kara Zor-El, commonly known as Supergirl. And then…

Jon felt the bile rise up in his throat as he spread the next two pages out on the table in front of him. There were names at the top of each. They were names he had never seen in print before, but he was instantly able to decipher them. 

Jon-El.

Jor-El.

There were no pictures on those two pages but even a brief glance at the descriptions made it painfully clear who they were about.

_Species: Kryptonian-hybrid._

_Parents: Kal-El of Krypton and human mother._

_Powers: unknown._

_Weaknesses: kryptonite._

There was more, but Jon was suddenly too dizzy to take it all in right now. His knees gave out and he fell down into the nearest chair, heart pounding rapidly in his chest as he gripped his own page with a quivering hand.

_Jon-El. Jon-El. Jon-El._

The name seemed to be mocking him gleefully.

_Extra-terrestrial registration number 4463._

His eyes caught sight of another line, further down the list.

_Place of Birth: Argo City, Fragment of Krypton._

What the actual fuck!? A fresh wave of nausea overcame him as his mind began to race.

Then, the front door finally clicked open… 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!  
> Full disclosure- I don't follow any of the other Arrow shows but tried to watch the Crisis episodes last night. I'm not sure if I quite understood it all but I hope this version of the twins' birth fits in okay. I love the idea of Argo City.

“Jonathan.”

The old man’s voice rang through the hallway as he caught sight of the unexpected invader in his kitchen.

Jon wasn’t sure if he wanted to shout or cry, so instead he stayed silently glued to his spot, his body trembling as his grandfather stepped cautiously into the room.

Yes, he confirmed bitterly as he locked eyes with the man. That look was still there. The look that seemed to scream _outsider_ … _freak._ The warm smile he remembered so fondly from his childhood was nowhere in sight.

His stomach twisted into a painful knot as his hand griped the piece of paper even tighter than before.

“Jonathan?” He spat, the anger dripping from his voice. “Don’t you mean Jon-El? Or maybe alien number four thousand and seventy-six?”

His grandfather took a quick glance around, clearly piecing together what had happened. He had the decency to show a flash of regret, at least. For a brief moment.

“Jonathan,” he repeated again, holding his hands up as if in surrender, “you were never supposed to see that. And it’s not what you think.”

The teen gave a bitter scoff. “Bullshit,” he hissed, glancing down at the paper, “it is exactly what it looks like. Part of your job is keeping tabs on alien lifeforms. Profiling and tracking them. Protecting the human race from invaders. And that includes _me_ ,” Jon tried to ignore the building lump in his throat as he spoke. As hard as this was, he didn’t want to break down. Not now. He wanted his grandfather to see his rage, not his sadness. “This isn’t just because of the kryptonite, is it? You’ve always worried about what I might become.”

He watched as his grandfather brought a hand to his temple and let out a long, heavy breath. “I have to do my job, Jon. When I joined the military I swore an oath to my country above all else and I have always taken that very seriously.”

Jon rolled his eyes but the man continued.

“These particular files are for my eyes only. I swear it. I have gone out of my way to protect you boys over the years, in spite of who your father is. But yes, I admit it,” he conceeded, taking a careful step forward, “I included you in my registry. I know you’d never willingly be a threat but there are things out there beyond our control. If certain beings found out that Superman has sons, you’d be targets. They would try to turn you.”

“Well then maybe you shouldn’t leave information about us lying around on your kitchen table,” Jon quickly retorted. This was shockingly negligent on his grandfather’s part. Sam Lane was a lot of things, but he wasn’t an idiot and he knew the importance of tight security.

The man nodded. “You’re right, that was a terrible oversight on my part,” he agreed, “after yesterday…” he trailed off for a moment, clearly struggling to come up with the right words. “I was up all night, and I still haven’t slept.”

Jon was a bit surprised to hear that. Was it possible that he actually did feel some remorse, despite appearances.

“I got called into an urgent situation and left abruptly this morning. Believe me, these files are usually inaccessible to anyone but me.”

That was good, he supposed, but it provided little comfort at the moment.

“I don’t care how locked up they usually are,” the boy said, shaking his head in disgust. “These files shouldn’t exist and we sure as hell shouldn’t be included in them.”

His grandfather looked at him for a long moment and it took all Jon’s strength not to waver under his gaze. He did his best to stand proud and resolute, certain that what he had said was right. 

It felt as if the man’s eyes were boring into him. Perhaps looking for the alien that lurked beneath the surface.

“Jon,” the man began slowly, his tone much too condescending for Jon’s liking. “I know this is still pretty new to you. It has only been a few months since you learned the truth. But you are going to have to accept the facts. You and Jordan aren’t normal. I needed to register you and yesterday only confirmed that. I don’t like it either, but it’s true. You are extra-terrestrials.”

“Fuck you!”

It was a childish and immature response but it burst out of him before he had a chance to stop it. The tears were threatening to fall again and he fought fervently to keep them at bay.

“I can’t believe that I ever thought you cared about us. About me! All that time, all the trips and sports games and outings, all you cared about was keeping an eye on the kryptoninan hybrids,” he realized that he was shouting now but he didn’t care, “mom and dad may have lied to us, but at least they don’t see us as fucking science experiments to be monitored on behalf of the government!”

His grandfather took another step forward but the teen instantly jumped back. “Jon,” the man pleaded, somewhat taken aback by the sudden outburst, “it isn’t like that at all. I love you boys, more than you’ll ever know. I’m sorry about yesterday and I am sorry you found the files—but I am not sorry for taking precautions. Humans don’t have superpowers. Our only weapon is information. I don’t wish any peaceful being harm but we need to know who is visiting our plant.”

Jon let out another scoff. “Visiting?” He asked, his anger spiking once more. The man was doing nothing to help his cause. He was only revealing what a close-minded and fearful bigot he was. “Is that what you think Jordan and I are? Visitors? This is our _home._ It is our planet as much as it is yours.” 

Realizing he was still holding the paper from his files he gave it a sudden wave for emphasis. “Your stupid document is wrong, by the way, Krypton is gone. I was born here.”

It seemed like a stupid mistake to make. Surely his own grandfather knew where they had been born. But the paper said something about a Kryptonian city, which was clearly nonsense.

“You weren’t.”

There was no hesitancy in the quick reply and Jon snapped his head up, meeting his grandpa in the eye.

“Of course we were,” Jon repeated again, his heart now beating more rapidly than he would have liked. “Everyone knows that Krypton blew up. That’s why dad was sent here in the first place.”

Sam let out a long sigh. “I can’t believe your parents still haven’t told you this,” he muttered softly before clearing his throat, “Most of it was destroyed, but one fragment—Argo City—remained suspended in space. Your father’s cousin discovered it and your parents went there as soon as they discovered that your mother was pregnant.”

Jon felt his heart sink. Was it really true? It seemed absurd but, then again, his life had been one surprise after another lately.

Maybe he really was an alien in more than one sense of the word.

“Why?” He choked out, his voice weaker than it had been before.

“Because,” his grandfather began with a tightly controlled voice, “they thought it might be a dangerous pregnancy here on earth. If either of you had powers in the womb you could have killed your mother,” his expression darkened at the thought and Jon felt his own heart skip a beat. It was a horrifying prospect. “So they went to where the red sun would render you all powerless and she gave birth to you there.”

There was a heavy pause.

“Do you have any idea how that felt, Jon?” The man asked rhetorically, his eyes narrowing at the horrible memory of it all. “My daughter had to be whisked away to the fragment of another planet to save her life. I missed out on the birth of my only grandchildren. I didn’t know if I’d ever actually meet you or see Lois again.” Sam shook his head, “all because of him.”

Although he was still struggling to process this terrible revelation he could not miss the bitterness and regret in his grandfather’s voice. Truth be told, he did feel a pang of sympathy in that moment and he could tell that the man had struggled.

“Do you hate him?” Jon blurted out, surprising himself with the bluntness of his own question. “My father, I mean.”

He watched as Sam thought for a moment, the weight of it sitting heavily upon him.

“No,” the man finally stated, looking back up to meet the boy’s eyes. “I don’t hate him. And I can’t imagine life without you boys. None of this is your fault. But,” he hesitated for a moment, “I wish he wasn’t your father.”

It felt as if that last statement sent a jolt through his body.

Jon stumbled back against the kitchen door, heart still pounding uncomfortably in his chest as his eyes remained firmly locked on the man in front of him. He realized that he could feel the sun again, trickling through the window. His skin tingled beneath it, finally starting to heal the damage brought upon him in this house.

This time, he didn’t pull away.

So much about his life was strange and challenging. Weirder than he had ever thought possible. But he realized in that moment that he didn’t truly want it to change. He was who he was and he always had been—even if he hadn’t known it.

He felt a fresh wave of resolve wash over him.

“You’re the one who spelled it out, grandpa,” he said before abruptly grabbing the file folder off the table and hastily shoving his own page inside. “It says it right here. I am Jon-El, son of Kal-El. You can either accept that or lose everything.”

Without another word, Jon turned and opened the back door. Refusing to look back as his grandfather called out, he stepped out onto the sunny lawn and gazed up towards the sky, revelling in the warmth and strength it brought.

His alien body soaked it in as he called out for the one man who could whisk him away from this place.

_Dad._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read this.  
> I wanted to finish before the next episode so here it is- hope you enjoy and tell me what you think :)

Jon wondered how many more nights they would spend like this before all their family’s secrets were finally revealed.

His dad had swept him out of the yard without question, silently understanding why his son had come. It had been a blissfully quiet flight home but, as soon as they had landed to find his mom and brother on the porch, the gates had opened, and the entire tale came pouring out.

Thankfully, his parents hadn’t seemed mad at him for his reckless trip, nor had they tired to deny the revelations about the twins’ unique birth. As annoyed as he was for finding out about it this way it felt good to hear their explanation. Everything his grandfather had said about Argo City was true, apparently, and they had been forced to make an abrupt return to earth when that final fragment of Krypton had been destroyed.

Jon felt sadder than he expected to learn of its demise, but his mood had lifted when his mother pulled out a photo album which detailed their first three months in Argo. Frankly, it was fascinating to see this previously unknown part of their family history and he enjoyed listening to the stories about his parent’s early experiences with their newborn twins (Jordan had always been a handful, apparently). 

The past several months had made it pretty clear that his parents lived uniquely complicated lives and Jon figured it would take a bit of time before he and Jordan were presented with every detail. It didn’t really feel like they were holding back anymore—there was just a lot to cover.

Finally, after a long talk and several cups of hot coca, dad had dashed off to help with some sort of emergency and mom (who was clearly tense about the situation with her father) had retired to bed. 

He and Jordan had stayed out on the porch, however, chatting comfortably in their wicker chairs as the fireflies danced in the distance.

“I mean, I don’t think he hates us,” Jordan said, referring back to their grandfather. They had started to discuss that mess again, now that their parents had left. His brother, understandably, was pretty curious about what went down.

They may not have been as close, but Sam was his grandfather too. He cared.

“No,” Jon agreed, letting out a heavy breath as he thought back to the scene in the kitchen. “He said he loves us. And I guess he does, in his way. But he called us extra-terrestrials and seems to think we could become a threat in the wrong situation,” the teen paused, “and he was pretty clear about the fact that he wishes we weren’t Superman’s sons.”

His brother chuckled darkly, shaking his head. “Well, tough luck, General. Deal with it or fuck off.”

“That’s basically what I said,” Jon noted, the moment flickering through his mind. “Though I said it a little less colourfully.”

Jordan laughed again, more lightheartedly than before. “I’d expect nothing less, golden-boy,” he teased playfully. Jon definitely wasn’t the one who was known for expletive outbursts. “Although,” the dark-haired teen began again, “he isn’t entirely wrong. We are extra-terrestrials, in more ways than we realized.”

Jon shrugged before averting his gaze up towards the inky sky. He’d never really focused on how clear the stars were here in the countryside and he found himself watching them for a long moment as they twinkled through the blackness of space. He briefly wondered if they would have been able to see Krypton from here. Back before…

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he agreed, trying to ignore the odd feeling in his chest. It wasn’t embarrassment or discomfort this time (the reactions he was used to when the topic of their origins came up). It could better be described as grief. Jon wasn’t entirely sure why—was it even possible to mourn a place you couldn’t remember? It seemed foolish.

“It’s pretty weird to think that we weren’t even born on Earth,” Jon continued, expressing a thought he hadn’t yet shared with his parents. “I don’t really know how I feel about that. I’ve barely come to terms with the fact that we’re not entirely human. But I’d assumed that this was at least our home planet. Guess not.”

Jordan slowly shook his head, his blue eyes wide at the thought as well. “Nope,” he said softly. “I don’t know how I feel about it yet either. It is going to take some time to sink in.”

He watched his brother glance down towards the photo album their mother had brought out earlier before picking it up and flipping slowly through the first few pages. Jon found himself leaning forward in his chair. There was just enough light to make out an image of two newborn babies wrapped in blue blankets marked with a very familiar insignia.

Yes, they were definitely Superman’s sons.

“I wonder if we really would have hurt mom, if they’d stayed on Earth,” Jon mused, raising an even darker thought that had been echoing in his mind. Earlier, his mom had brushed it off as merely a precaution but he had to wonder. As far as they knew, she was the first and only human woman to ever carry half-Kryptonian babies.

He was surprised to hear his brother chuckle once again as he looked up from the album on his lap. “Maybe it would have been like that movie— _Alien_ ,” he said jokingly. “You know, the one where the aliens burst out of people’s chests, spraying blood everywhere.”

“Jesus Jordan!” Jon exclaimed, shaking his head in disgust. He knew the other boy was joking, but still. “We’re not—well, technically we are—but not like that! Seriously, ew.” He stumbled over his words a bit as Jordan shook his head, bemused, before letting a more serious expression fall.

“It’s impossible to say, Jon,” he said realistically, “and thankfully no one had to find out.”

There was a short pause before his brother started again, changing course. “You know, it’s kind of weird to think that even on Krypton, we would have been deemed aliens,” he said thoughtfully, tilting his head to the side as he considered it. “Only there, it would have been mom’s fault.”

That hadn’t occurred to Jon and he found a small frown tugging at his lips. It was true. That may have been their birthplace but their human mother still would have singled them out as unique. That said, something about it seemed preferable. It was technically where they were from and, as far as they knew, Kryptonians had been an advanced civilization with little fear of others. They probably hadn’t had an extra-terrestrial registry and they probably wouldn’t have had to live a life of secrets.

There was no use dwelling on that now, though. Even the final bastion of the place was gone now.

This was the only home they had left and they would have to make the best of it.

“It’s pretty hard not to feel like a freak sometimes, isn’t it?” Jon mused. It had been an eventful two days, to say the least. And while his encounter with the Kryptonite and his confrontation with grandpa had begun to sink in there was still a lot to process. Still, he felt a bit better than he had before. Sitting here on a porch in Smallville, with his brother—he felt like he had a place to belong. Despite it all.

“It is,” Jordan agreed, his voice softer than it had been before. “And Jon, I know it’s harder for you than it is for me right now. I’ve always felt different,” he admitted honestly, “but you haven’t. Until recently, you thought you were the perfect all-American guy.”

“I never thought I was perfect.”

“You know what I mean.”

He did, and he let his brother continue.

“For me, all of this stuff just sort of feels like a confirmation of my oddities. It almost makes sense, in a weird way. But you have to face feeling different for the first time in your life. Trust me, I know what a shitty feeling it is.”

As he looked up to meet Jordan’s eyes he could see the truth in his statement. His brother really did understand.

He was probably the only one in the universe who could.

Jon couldn’t express how much comfort he drew from that.

“You’ll get through it, though. Because you’re also a badass who can overcome anything,” Jordan paused, a smile tugging at his lips, “and because you have alien-boy #1 at your side.”

Jon snorted at the final statement and raised an eyebrow. “What makes you alien-boy #1? I was born five minutes before you. The title is mine.”

His brother shood his head stubbornly, “no way. I’m the one who got powers first. And I’m just better at aliening than you.” 

“I’m pretty sure that ‘aliening’ isn’t a verb,” Jon retorted playfully, “but fine. You can be alien-boy #1,” he paused, trying to ignore the nervous flutter in his stomach, “and I’m alien-boy #2.”

There. He had said it.

Oddly, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest.

There was power in an admission.

Beside him, Jordan beamed.

“I’m not gonna lie, Jon,” he admitted with a smile, “as terrible as the last few days have been, I’m pretty glad that you’re getting on board. You actually managed to talk about Krypton tonight without flinching.”

Jon hadn’t really realized it earlier, but he supposed it was true. Their family conversation that evening had been emotional, but he hadn’t felt the surge of disgust he’d become accustomed to in those moments.

Jordan was right.

His twin often seemed to know him better than he did himself.

“Maybe you can come with us to Australia next time?” Jordan continued with a flash of excitement. “The ozone layer is weakest down there and you really can feel the intensity of the sun’s rays more than you can here.” There was a brief pause. “You do feel it, right? The tingle of the sun I mean. The energy. I always assumed everyone felt it but dad says they don’t.”

Yesterday, he probably would have denied it but today, he nodded.

“Yeah, I feel it,” he said softly, “I always thought it was normal too.”

Another silence fell as Jon did his best to fight back any lingering feelings of discomfort. Jordan was right, there was no point shying away from all of this. He had to face it. They were in this together. And this was who he had always been.

“Do you think it’s only a matter of time before I get powers?” he asked suddenly, deciding to finally get one of the biggest looming questions off his chest. He’d done his best to push it to the back of his mind but that felt impossible now.

They had come this far. 

It had to be said.

He watched his brother nod slowly. “Yeah, probably,” the other teen said truthfully. Jon swallowed heavily and let him continue. “You’re half-kryptonian and you collapsed in the face of kryptonite just as quickly as I did. Your body clearly processes things differently. It kinda seems like it’s more of a question of _when_ than _if._ ” 

Jon found himself nodding back. Yes, that had basically been his logic as well. And their mother had essentially said the same.

It seemed that the fantasy of living life as ‘the normal one’ was destined to end. And it was definitely going to upend a lot of what he had envisioned for himself. But he would leave those thoughts for another day.

Thankfully, Jordan seemed happy to shift the topic as well. The boy was looking back down at the photo album that had remained on his lap, his eyes now scanning the carefully labelled descriptions under each photo. Jon leaned forward once again.

_Jon and Jor’s first bath_

_Jor in his favourite blanket_

_Jon smiling two seconds before he spit-up on the carpet_

_Jor sleeping soundly—for once_

_Jon on our trip to the Jewel Mountains_

There were a lot of pictures and Jon realized with slight surprise that everything was written in his dad’s handwriting. He really was the more sentimental one—and he clearly cherished every moment that they had shared together.

It was pointless to dwell in ‘what-ifs’ but it certainly seemed like their lives in Argo City had been simpler. Dad hadn’t been Superman there. He’d just been their father.

As Jon caught sight of a picture of his dad holding them up with a proud grin on his face he realized that this was probably the life the man had truly wanted.

He hadn’t wanted to come back to Earth or to miss so much of their childhoods.

But, as Jon knew too well, even the best laid plans could be upended.

“We were cute,” Jordan muttered beside him as he flipped back to the first page which contained their newborn photographs next to their Kryptonian birth certificates. “I kind of hate that my given name is actually Jor-El, though.” 

Jon laughed, secretly happy that his wasn’t. He’d never met Jonathan Kent, but by all accounts the man had been much more likeable than Hologramps.

“Well,” he noted as he reached under his own chair and sat up with the file folder he had nearly forgotten about, “then you’re probably going to want to get rid of grandpa’s little document.”

He’d managed to hold onto it on the flight home and his parents had looked through it earlier, disgusted by Sam’s callous documentation. His father had said something about making sure it was destroyed. Jordan hadn’t had a close examination, however, and he reached out for it with a quiet groan.

Jon watched as his brother scanned through it, pausing on the page that described known facts about Jor-El, son of Kal-El.

“You’re right,” Jordan agreed a moment later, looking up at his brother. “I don’t want this to exist.”

A look of determination flashing across his face, the dark-haired teen stood up and placed the photo album to the side while still clutching the file folder tightly. 

Before Jon had a chance to ask what he was planning to do, his brother hopped off the porch and took a few long strides into the middle of the lawn. There, he dropped the General’s folder on the ground and took a step back.

For a second, Jon was confused. Was his plan to simply let it blow away in the wind? That seemed ill-advised.

Then, it all became clear.

There was a sudden flash of red in front of him as a beam of intense light burst purposefully out of his brother’s eyes.

The papers went up in smouldering flames and Jordan turned back towards him, a look of proud satisfaction on his face. 

Jon felt a swell of relief and he was about to congratulate his twin when another dash of colour distracted them both. As if on cue, their dad had returned from his mission—with his full Superman garb and an amused smile.

“Jordan,” he began, surveying the scene for a moment as his feet touched down on the ground, “did you just blow-up Grandpa Lane’s papers?”

The boy hesitated for a moment before fessing up.

“Um, yeah.”

Much to both of their surprise, their dad simply laughed before turning his head and adding his own blast of red energy to the smoking pile.

“Just to be sure,” he quipped, ruffling Jordan’s hair a bit as they both walked back towards the porch.

His dad stopped just short of his chair, pulling Jordan towards him with one arm while gesturing for Jon to stand up. He obliged, allowing himself to be drawn into the other half of the embrace.

It was still a bit bizarre when he really thought about it. He’d certainly never thought that he’d find himself on a quiet farm in Smallville, being held in a protective fatherly embrace from the world’s most powerful hero.

But, strangely, something about it somehow seemed to fit.

This was them, and this was how it was supposed to be. 

Their dad drew a deep breath as he held them both close. “How are you guys doing?” He asked.

Jon smiled.

“I think we’re okay, dad,” he answered honestly, “it's going to be okay.” 


End file.
